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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: vault · fall · bass · firm · cap · mate

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. cap — a hat
  3. bass — low music
  4. mate — a partner
  5. fall — to drop
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. cap — of ice
  8. fall — the season
  9. cap — a lid
  10. firm — decided
  11. firm — a company
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. vault — a safe
  14. bass — the fish
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mate — a friend
  18. fall — to drop

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com